Friday 7 September 2012 10.06 EDT
First published on Friday 7 September 2012 10.06 EDT

Teachers have voted to go on strike over what they say is the erosion of their pay and working conditions.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said 82.5% of members who voted in a ballot were in favour of walkouts. Turnout was 27%.

Members also voted for industrial action short of strikes, with 91.6% in favour, the union said. A total of 228,831 NUT members in state schools, academies and sixth-form colleges in England and Wales were balloted.

The result raises the threat of huge disruption to schools later this term. The NUT, which has previously balloted members over changes to public sector pensions, has warned of joint strikes with the NASUWT, another teaching union, which already has a mandate to take industrial action over the same issues.

The NUT said the two unions would be campaigning together to "ensure that the onslaught of attacks on the teaching profession stops". Further details of the campaign will be set out on Monday.

The union's general secretary, Christine Blower, said: "The NUT is left with no option but to take action to protect the wellbeing of our members and restore their rights to do their job thoroughly and properly. Teachers are being undermined by a government whose almost daily criticisms and erosion of working conditions and pay, coming on top of previous attacks on pensions, are unacceptable. This negative approach to the profession has to stop.

"No other profession comes under such continual scrutiny and no other profession has accountability systems based on so little trust. This is bound to lower morale. It is time for government to stop dictating to teachers and address the problems which they are creating. It is time to listen to the profession."

Chris Keates, the NASUWT general secretary, said: "Congratulations to the NUT on a positive ballot result. This result is the reflection of two years of sustained assault from the government which has been deeply damaging to teacher morale, as well as to recruitment and retention. On Monday the NASUWT will be setting out jointly with the NUT the next steps to defend teachers from attacks on their pay, pensions, workload, working conditions and jobs."

This week Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, warned of a fresh wave of co-ordinated strikes over cuts to pay and pensions. He said there was a real likelihood of more industrial action before the end of the year, following last November's walkout by public sector workers over pension reforms.

At the annual TUC Congress in Brighton next week, activists are expected to press for industrial action. McCluskey said the pensions issue remained a "festering sore" among workers in the health service, education and civil service, and could erupt again in the coming months.

He said public sector workers had endured a three-year pay freeze and faced another two years without any increase, leading to growing numbers of low-paid people having to rely on food banks. "That is scandalous. The attacks on public sector workers are unfair, and our members remain furious. There is a real chance of co-ordinated industrial action, if not this winter, then early next year," he said.

"There is a view that strikes are a waste of time, but I reject that. When people feel something is wrong, we have to protest. What else are we supposed to do? Shrug our shoulders and say taking action is not going to make any difference? When enough people march or take strike action, it has an impact."